Hello, readers. We have another busy week of reviews, but first we have today's video pick. My pick this week was one of the highest grossing blockbuster flicks of the 80s. It also became a cultural phenomenon amongst both kids and adults featuring one of the catchiest songs of the decade.
Ghostbusters first focuses on three parapsychologists - Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis). After losing their jobs at Columbia University, the three decide to go into business for themselves on a "ghost containment" invention Ray's been working on. Business at first is a little rocky - secretary Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) assures one client, "Yes, of course, they're serious." - but once people see what these three are capable of doing, the Ghostbusters become like rock stars within the city of New York. Booming business and an extremely busy schedule leads to the three hiring additional help from a fourth member, Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson). The Ghostbusters are soon hired by Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) who has found a Sumerian demigod in her fridge ("Normally, you don't see that type of behavior in a major appliance.", states Dr. Venkman). This case, in particular, strikes the interest of Dr. Spengler who believes the ghost they're after may be Gozer the Gozerian - a shape shifting god of destruction bent on bringing about the end of the world. Meanwhile, the Ghostbusters face another troubling pest in the form of an EPA agent named Walter Peck (William Atherton), who believes the Ghostbusters are nothing more than light show scam artists and threatens to shut them down.
Normally, big special effects tend to adversely affect a comedy (The Back to the Future series is another rare exception along with this film), but let me just say that I love, love, love, love this movie. The main reason why I think this film is so effective in combining gut busting laughs with big special effects is the writing by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd brought the high concept story, and Ramis brought his talent for comic dialogue and his ability to ground Aykroyd's rather lofty concept into some form of reality. Ramis mentioned in the audio commentary of the film that the ultimate goal was comedy. Let the special effects work within the comedy, but never let them run the show. The result is nothing short of priceless. Bill Murray couldn't be more perfectly cast as Dr. Peter Venkman, the leader of the group. The comic timing - often times self-improvised - he displays is so pitch perfect, it's sick, and the chemistry he has with Sigourney Weaver's more straight faced love interest is spot on. Aykroyd is great as Dr. Stantz, the ambitious ghost expert. Ramis has the scientific nerd role down pat, and Ernie Hudson has a smaller, but solid role as the "everyman" of the group (There's a great moment when Winston's asked by Janine during his interview if he believes in UFOs, ESP, full trance mediums, Loch Ness Monster, etc. and Winston responds, "If there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say."). Rick Moranis also has a great supporting role as Dana Barrett's apartment neighbor who inadvertently gets caught up in Barrett's ghost dilemma (He has one ad-libbed scene in particular at a house party of his where he knocks it clear out of the park.). The greatest joy of this film, though, is that it doesn't matter if you're a three year old kid, like I was when I first saw this film, or an adult - there's a laugh for each of you in Ghostbusters. Kids will obviously eat up the moments where the Ghostbusters deal with "Slimer", and the adults will love moments such as the back and forth between Murray and Weaver and the more adult style one liners ("You can believe Mr. Pecker." ... "My name is Peck."). No matter how many times I watch this film, it never gets old, and from the moment Ray Parker, Jr.'s hit song "Ghostbusters" blasts through the TV speakers during the intro scene, I immediately feel like a kid again. There's something for everyone to laugh at here. Definitely check this great film out!
Cast of Characters:
Alien - James Franco
Faith - Selena Gomez
Candy - Vanessa Hudgens
Brit - Ashley Benson
Cotty - Rachel Korine
Archie “Big Arch” - Gucci Mane
Director - Harmony Korine
Screenplay - Harmony Korine
Rated R for strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout
Every year, around mid to late March, legions of college kids flock to the state of Florida (my birth state and first hometown, by the way) to commit stupid, drunken, horny acts. That joyous time of year that every parent dreads knowing their once sweet, little princess is now going topless for beads and on the cover of a nudie video is called "Spring Break". Take a good look at your little ones, parents. That will be your kid in about ten to fifteen years. With Spring Breakers, James Franco plays a gangsta rapper with former Disney stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens as two of his bikini clad babes by his... Whoa! What the hell? Let's rewind that there... sih yb sebab dalc inikib sih fo owt sa snegduH assenaV dna zemoG aneleS srats yensiD... Disney stars Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens - okay, yeah, that's not a typo.
The film centers on four childhood friends now in college. They are Faith (Selena Gomez), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Brit (Ashley Benson), and Cotty (Rachel Korine). The four are trying to save up to go down to the Sunshine State for spring break, but they've only been able to save up between three to four hundred dollars - not enough for the four of them together. Brit and Candy hold up and vandalize a small, fast food restaurant - Cotty being the getaway driver - to make some quick cash. Faith, being the more innocent one out of the four, is a bit taken aback by their scheme to make money for the trip. Seeing that they now have the money to go down to Florida though, she reluctantly overlooks what they've done.
While on spring break, the four go buck wild like the rest of those wild and crazy college kids. Their vacation is temporarily put on hold though when they're arrested at a party that happens to have drugs. The judge states he won't charge them with possession since the drugs weren't theirs, but he orders that they either pay a fine or spend two nights in custody. They obviously have run out of money, so it's two nights in prison for the four of them. Also in attendance at the court hearing was Alien (James Franco), a rapper who's been running a few spring break parties in the area. Alien (his real name being Allen) takes a liking to the four and bails them out, promising to show them a good time. Faith, right off the bat, is uncomfortable with hanging out with Alien. She's completely turned off by his lifestyle, especially after finding out he makes most of his money selling drugs. Having been worn out from the arrest, Faith decides to leave and head back home.
What should I say about this movie? It's profane. It's vulgar. There's dozens upon dozens of scenes of former Disney stars nearly bursting out of their bikinis... It's also the best movie I've seen so far this year, and certainly will be one of the most unforgettable by year's end. Writer/director Harmony Korine is no stranger to controversy within film. His 1995 film Kids (which he wrote) was a great, yet deeply disturbing look at teen sex and substance abuse, and it was very much polarizing amongst both moviegoers and critics. With Spring Breakers, Korine indulges in a number of stylistic flourishes, creating a dark, dreamlike, surreal atmosphere that takes a harsh, unrelenting look at the binge drinking, crotch grinding, topless world college kids throw themselves into during Spring Break. The second half of the film (which I refrained from explaining for the sake of spoilers) finds the girls spiraling further down in their own hedonistic hell. The performances are terrific. This is perfect casting. James Franco dives head on into this role, and it's one of those roles where you hear about it and go, "What the hell?", then you see it and realize there's not a single false note struck in his performance. The four girls are equally strong. Selena Gomez, although not in the film as long as the Hudgens, Benson, and Korine, really surprised me with her terrifically conflicted role as Faith - the only one out of the four with a bit of a backstory. Her character is a born-again Christian. She adores her grandmother, and attends a Christian youth group. However, she still wants to experience the fun, party lifestyle of Spring Break, but once she gets a taste of what certain bad choices can lead to she realizes it may be fun for a moment, but when the dream ends you're in for a rude wake-up call. Vanessa Hudgens' character couldn't be any more polar opposite of Faith. Aptly named Candy, she's one wild, little minx that seems to have no concept of the term "line in the sand" and no regard for consequences whatsoever. Clearly, Vanessa has shredded any trace there may be left clinging to her of High School Musical. Hell, I was almost tempted to Google her and Gomez's age just so I could be assured I wasn't gonna leave the theater and find Chris Hansen waiting for me at home with his To Catch a Predator film crew. It's a daring performance by Hudgens that - unlike a few other Disney "Tween Queen" gone bad performances - actually works. She pulls no punches and goes all in, and I was seriously impressed.
Obviously, this film will be polarizing, and I'm just telling you now, you're either gonna love it or hate it. When I walked by the movie's poster at the theater, I noticed it kinda looked like an advertisement for a dumbed down party film. The movie's anything but that. It's a provocative and at times darkly funny film about the hedonistic lifestyle associated with Spring Break and the consequences that may come with it. Korine doesn't shy away in the slightest from the boozing, the dancing, the gyrating, and the drug fueled partying, but he also doesn't shy away from the consequences. What starts out as one bad choice leads to exponentially bigger bad choices. That's what makes this movie so greatand unforgettable. I give Spring Breakers an A (★★★★).
REVIEWS COMING LATER NEXT WEEK...
Benjamin's Stash: Video Pick of the Week
Top 50 Movie Villains of All-Time: Part V 21 & Over G.I. Joe: Retaliation The Host Olympus Has Fallen
Cast of Characters:
Albert Wunderstein/Burt Wonderstone - Steve Carell
Anthony Mertz/Anton Marvelton - Steve Buscemi
Jane - Olivia Wilde
Rance Holloway - Alan Arkin
Doug Munny - James Gandolfini
Steve Gray - Jim Carrey
Director - Don Scardino
Screenplay - John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, dangerous stunts, a drug related incident and language
Absurdist comedies have always been a hit or miss endeavor. That’s mainly because most, if not all of them follow the same formula. Whether it be Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, or Blades of Glory (must’ve run out of subtitles), all have the same formula and stock of characters: the one or two antagonists (one likeable, the other a pompous blowhard), the eccentric villain, the obligatory female assistant that ends up being the love interest, and the oddball, aging mentor. With The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, you know it’s gonna follow the same path like the rest of them. Will it be a hit or miss?
In 1982, Albert Wunderstein is a pint-sized boy who’s harassed by local bullies. On his birthday, his mother gets him a magic trick set by legendary veteran magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). Seeing it as an escape from the everyday pounding he’d normally face each day from the bullies, Wunderstein practices all the tricks he can. His ability to now perform magic tricks attracts the attention of one his schoolmates, Anthony Mertz. The two form an instant friendship and become magician partners.
Years later, Wunderstein (Steve Carell) and Mertz (Steve Buscemi) are now grown up. For the past few years they’ve been performing an ongoing gig with their assistant Jane (Olivia Wilde) at the Aztec Casino in Las Vegas under the stage names Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton. The problem they’ve run into recently - as brought up by casino owner Doug Munny (James Gandolfini) - is that their act has gone stale. For the past few years Burt and Anton have been doing the same tricks, same routines, even the same introduction song (“Abracadabra” by The Steve Miller Band). An even bigger problem for the duo is brought before them when Munny shows them a TV advertisement for cutting edge street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) and his viral show Brain Rapist (Clearly a satire of Criss Angel's Mind Freak) . Munny feels Gray’s street magic is the future of magic and that if Burt and Anton aren’t gonna update their act, he’ll have to find new performers ‘cause what they’re doing now ain’t selling tickets.
As Burt and Anton’s star begins to fade and Steve Gray’s begins to rise, Burt starts looking for work elsewhere. Eventually, he lands an entertainer gig at a nearby assisted living center where he finds living there, of all people, his childhood hero - Rance Holloway. Holloway has now given up magic for years, but seeing the man that got him into magic in the first place seems to have rekindled a passion fire for the magic he once loved. From that moment, Burt sets out to reclaim his spot back in Vegas with an act amazing enough to bring back his relevancy.
Like I said up at the top, absurdist comedies of this kind tend to be hit or miss. For the most part, the Will Ferrell comedies of the past decade were mostly miss after miss (Old School and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy were rare exceptions) not ‘cause the stories were the same, but ‘cause the characters he'd play were all the same too and it was the same annoying comic bit every time. I will admit The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is certainly predictable, but I gotta tell you, I laughed quite a bit. For starters, Jim Carrey hits a grand slam as the Criss Angel-like Steve Gray. I haven’t laughed at a Jim Carrey performance this hard since 2003's Bruce Almighty. There’s one scene in particular where both Gray and Wonderstone go off in a “Anything you can do I can do better” type magic showdown at a kid’s birthday party that’s flat-out hysterical. The other supporting performances are solid as well. Buscemi has a great comic moment when after Anton and Burt have a fallout, Anton goes on a charity mission to Cambodia. There he hands out magic kits to the native kids (instead of food and clean water, of course), and the reaction by the kids is priceless. Carell has a similarly great awkward moment during a solo show where, having done the same duo routine for years and years, has to improvise his set on a whim that ends up looking like he’s talking to himself. Also, both Olivia Wilde and Academy Award winner Alan Arkin manage to take the obligatory roles of the love interest and aging mentor respectively and make them both work effectively. Arkin in particular is terrific, delivering a great gag on how he actually performed a certain trick.
Yeah, it has its weak moments. James Gandolfini is a very talented actor (Watch Zero Dark Thirty if you don’t believe me), but here he seemed slightly miscast. I mean, it’s a bit cliche to have the big, hulking mafioso type character play the casino owner. Aside from that, this may be a predictable comedy, but it still achieved the goal any comedy sets out to do, and that’s make me laugh. You know, when I first saw Carrey show up on the screen, I kinda let out a small chuckle that built up to a loud laugh. After seeing him do unfunny flop after flop for the past number of years, it’s great to see him in - a supporting role, mind you - but still one hell of a hysterical one. I give The Incredible Burt Wonderstone a B+ (★★★½).
Cast of Characters:
Grug Crood - voiced by Nicolas Cage
Guy - voiced by Ryan Reynolds
Eep Crood - voiced by Emma Stone
Ugga Crood - voiced by Catherine Keener
Thunk Crood - voiced by Clark Duke
Gran - voiced by Cloris Leachman
Director - Kirk DeMicco & Chris Sanders
Screenplay - Kirk DeMicco & Chris Sanders
Rated PG for some scary action
DreamWorks Studios hasn't had quite the success that Pixar Animation has enjoyed over the years; however, that being said, they've still have created some very imaginative animated tales from Antz to the Shrek films, Kung Fu Panda and the underrated Over the Hedge. This year, DreamWorks has released their next animated endeavor, The Croods.
Eep Croog (voiced by Emma Stone) is a teenage Neanderthal girl living back in prehistoric times. Her family is one of the few to survive primarily due to the strict rules of her overprotective father Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage). While in their cave home, Grug tells nightly stories to his family - wife Ugga (voiced by Catherine Keener), son Thunk (voiced by Clark Duke), baby daughter Sandy, and mother-in-law Gran (voiced by Cloris Leachman) - about the dangers of exploration and "new things". The stories all seem to revolve around a character more than coincidentally similar to the curiously explorative Eep and all end with the character dying due to her curiosity.
Ignoring the advice of her father, Eep leaves the cave one night where she meets Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) - a young, bright, and extremely inventive cave boy who may or may not have caught Eep's eye just by creating what she thinks is a "baby sun". It's actually fire. Guy warns her about what he feels is the world's "end". She tells her family of this theory of Guy's, but her obstinate father refuses to budge. In his mind, they're perfectly safe as long as they stay in the cave... until the cave is destroyed by an earthquake, that is.
Following the earthquake, the family is forced to move and enter what they see as a whole new world. They soon meet up with Guy, who Grug finds to be nothing more than a young, obnoxious know-it-all. It's even more annoying to him when he sees how his family comes off as totally enamored by him. Together the Croog family, along with Guy, must brave the new world and the possible dangers that it presents as they venture out to find a new and suitable home.
When I first saw the advertisement for this film my first reaction was, "Hmm... Probably just another Ice Age." While it's true that there are some similarities, this is still a creatively animated and funny film. Right at the opening of the film there's a cleverly funny introduction of the family going hunting for food in a way that resembles a football playbook more than anything else. The animation here is first rate. The color is extremely vibrant and it's just a beautiful film to watch. The voice-over performances are terrific. It's been a while since I've seen anything with Nicolas Cage in it that was worth my time, let alone money. He's great as the patriarchal head of the Croods, and it was just great to see (or I should see hear) him back in a role that's thoroughly entertaining. I mentioned above the scenes with him telling a different cautionary tale each night, but always containing the same character and ending with, "... And then she dies!" Both Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds are perfectly cast as Grug's typical teenage daughter Eep and Guy respectively. Catherine Keener is solid as the soft-spoken voice of reason counterpart to Cage's hysterically overprotective Grug, and no matter what she does, when isn't Cloris Leachman funny? Along with the gorgeous visual style and great voice-over work, this film also has some genuine heart that adds a nice touch to the film. They may be Neanderthals (that just so happen to be more fluent and well spoken in the English language than some of my friends), but even they realize as a family they are all they got, and that it's vital they cherish each other when it appears the world around them is crumbling away.
While not as heartwarming as Shrek or as imaginative as Over the Hedge, this is still miles better than the DreamWorks dud Shark Tale. I certainly wasn't expecting to hate this film, but I also wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Yeah, Grug doing the mother-in-law jokes are cliche and get a bit long in the tooth after a while, but you'll love the way the animation jumps out of the screen and grabs your attention. You'll enjoy the voice performances, and I think you'll appreciate the heart it contains at the center of it. I give The Croods a B+ (★★★½).
Cast of Characters:
Jordan Turner - Halle Berry
Casey Welson - Abigail Breslin
Officer Paul Phillips - Morris Chestnut
Michael Foster - Michael Eklund
Alan Denado - Michael Imperioli
Director - Brad Anderson
Screenplay - Richard D’Ovidio
Rated R for violence, disturbing content and some language
There are approximately 188 million calls to the 911 Emergency Dispatchers each year. That’s at least the statistic given to us by the new 2013 film The Call, a high-concept thriller about a 911 operator trying to locate a kidnapped girl. Statistics aside, though, is this film worth you lightening your wallet down five to ten bucks?
Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) is 911 dispatcher who receives a call from a distressed girl whose house is being broken into. Jordan calmly gives the girl instructions to evade the criminal, but when the call disconnects, Jordan re-dials the number. The call ring tone alerts the criminal, and it’s this action from Jordan that unfortunately leads to the girl’s murder. After realizing what has happened, Jordan naturally is traumatized by the event. Despite being comforted over the ordeal by her boyfriend, Officer Paul Phillips (Morris Chestnut), Jordan feels she can no longer handle the stress that comes with handling emergency calls.
Six months later, Jordan is no longer handling calls, but is now a trainer for 911 operators. While delivering training instructions to a batch of operating newbies, one of the rookie operators gets a distressed call from a girl named Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin). Casey states that she has been kidnapped at the mall and is in the trunk of a man’s car. Due to the fact that Casey is using a disposable cell phone, the operator is unable to trace the GPS location of the phone. Seeing that the operator is a rookie and is not handling the call well, Jordan - although reluctantly at first given her past - takes over the call.
Technical error aside (It is, in fact, possible for 911 operators to trace GPS locations on even disposable phones), this was an entertaining thrill ride with some strong back and forth between Halle Berry’s operator and Abigail Breslin’s victim. Director Brad Anderson (who previously directed Christian Bale in the terrific The Machinist) delivers a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller for about three-fourths of the film, and I was prepared to give the film a solid recommendation... Then the ending showed up, and boy, does it commit a big screen writing no-no by having Berry’s character switch gears into the “take matters into her own hands” role. I don’t know much about protocol within 911 operating units, but I’m pretty sure Jordan Turner thinking she’s all of a sudden Clarice Starling may be against protocol. Whether it’s against protocol or not is beside the point. Writer Richard D’Ovidio had a solid, entertaining thriller within his hands and for whatever reason decides to take the ending down the “heroin solitarily saves the day” route. It’s a cheap cop-out of an ending, and given the concept and story that D'Ovidio had, you’d think he could come up with a more clever conclusion. What he ends up opting for is something you'd expect to see in some straight to DVD torture flick.
Glaring critique aside, I’m still giving this film a mild recommendation. While it’s not worth rushing out and seeing right away, it’s still worth a watch. Aside from Michael Eklund's not quite believable portrayal of the kidnapper/serial killer, the performances are strong. Both Berry and Breslin have some nice, inspired moments together. Morris Chestnut has a solid supporting role as well playing a cop - unlike the detective he played in Identity Thief - that actually knows how to put two and two together, and director Brad Anderson strings together some intense, terrific thrills. The weakness is in the writing, but it’s still worth checking out once it’s released on disc or maybe even catching it as a matinee if nothing else is planned. I give The Call a B- (★★★).
The second to last of this five part series, we are almost to the finale with Part IV of the top 50 movie villains of all-time. Let's start the countdown with the top 20.
20) Lex Luthor (Superman) - Gene Hackman
1978 - Batman has the Joker. Spider-Man has the Green Goblin. Superman has Lex Luthor. As the Man of Steel’s arch nemesis, Luthor is charming, intelligent and devious all rolled into one. To make a fortune in real estate, Luthor plans on buying large amounts of desert land and then divert a nuclear missel test flight to the San Andreas Fault. The missel would in turn sink California, making Lex’s land the new U.S. West Coast, thereby increasing its value. Academy Award winner Gene Hackman was perfectly cast as Superman’s nemesis, striking just the right tone of both cockiness and terror in the iconic role. When hearing that one missel is heading to Hackensack, New Jersey, Lex's girlfriend, Miss Teschmacher, mentions to Lex that her mother lives in Hackensack. All you need to see is Luthor look down at his watch, then back at Teschmacher, shaking his head no to realize under that smile, this man is as ruthless as they come.
SPOILER ALERT: In the highly unlikely - I'm hoping - event you have not seen the original Star Wars trilogy, the next clip contains some major plot spoilers within the dialogue.
19) Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi) - Ian McDiarmid
1983 - Of course, everyone knows the main villain of the Star Wars franchise to be Darth Vader. That being said, sometimes even the greatest of villains have a puppet master. The way he has manipulated Darth Vader for years under his command is the stuff of pure evil. On top of that, he then gives film protagonist Luke Skywalker the choice to either join his side or... well, die. Ian McDiarmid is perfect as the slithery emperor. Even little things like his insidious chuckle before uttering, “Good... Your hate has made you powerful.” add much more to his dark persona.
18) Count Dracula (Dracula) - Bela Lugosi
1931 - Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 film Bram Stoker’s Dracula may have been more faithful to the original novel, but there’s no doubt that Bela Lugosi’s Dracula is by far the definitive depiction of the legendary vampire. Everything from his presence to the slow and deliberate pacing of his dialogue - “I bid you... welcome!” - was captured with such powerful perfection by the Hungarian Legosi. Even in the moments where he says not a single word, Legosi comes off just as frightening with that icy, cold stare of his that stays with you long after you’ve seen it. It’s unfortunate that this role ended up being such a double edged sword for Legosi. As famous as the role made him, it also brought upon him the curse of typecasting following this film. That still doesn’t take away the fact that 1931's Dracula is one of the greatest works of horror to ever grace the silver screen.
17) Count Orlok (Nosferatu) - Max Schreck
1922 - If a movie with no spoken dialogue can still manage to either move you, make you laugh, or send a chill down your spine, you know you have a masterpiece in the making. That is the case with Nosferatu, the classic German silent film from the early twenties. Max Schreck’s Count Orlok is easily the most unsettling of all the vampire depictions. One of the most unforgettable images ever is the shadow of Count Orlok slowly creeping up the staircase. Is this “scary” by what today’s horror films define as scary? No, but Nosferatu still manages to haunt you. Count Orlok’s not the type of villain that jumps out at you screaming “Boo!” with a blood drenched machete in his hand. He’s the type of monster that slowly creeps up behind you and breathes on the back of your neck causing the goose bumps on your arms to rise, and in some ways you could argue that's even worse.
16) Max Cady (Cape Fear) - Robert Mitchum
1962 - I apologize for the subtitles and advertisement distractions. This was the only clip I could find and I was hoping to find the "I'm gonna do something to you and your family that you ain't neva' gonna forget." scene. Anyway, with all due respect to the great Martin Scorsese, his 1991 remake is far and away inferior to the original starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum as the perverted rapist, Max Cady. Holding Georgia lawyer Sam Bowden (Peck) personally responsible for his conviction, Cady - upon his release - begins stalking Bowden’s family, particularly his wife and 14 year old daughter. What makes Max Cady such a perfectly disgusting villain is not just his behavior, but how easy it is for him to basically get away with murder. Every time Bowden tries to pin down Cady with the police, it seems the authorities can’t find the evidence proving Cady’s wrongdoing. Having studied law while in prison, he knows how to be one step ahead. It’s that type of frustrating, make your skin crawl, foil for Bowden that makes Robert Mitchum one hell of a nasty villain.
15) The Shark (Jaws) - “Bruce”
1975 - A modern day version of “Moby Dick”, Steven Spielberg’s breakthrough hit Jaws, proved you could have a “villain” that’s just as monstrous as the rest of them without being seen onscreen. For most of the film, you don’t see the shark even when it’s attacking its victims. That’s the beauty of Jaws and the genius of Spielberg. When we do finally see the shark, the wait makes the reveal all the more worth it leading up to Roy Scheider’s classic line, “... We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Whether it’s Spielberg’s ability to create suspense out of an unseen monster, the late, great Robert Shaw’s depiction of the shark during the town hall scene or John Williams’s phenomenally perfect musical score, there’s a reason people were afraid to go into the water in the seventies.
14) Annie Wilkes (Misery) - Kathy Bates
1990 - It is my sincere hope that I never attract a reader like Annie Wilkes. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for Best Actress for her chilling portrayal of the obsessively psychotic Wilkes. A die-hard fan of famed novelist Paul Sheldon, Annie ends up taking care of Sheldon after he is involved in a nearby auto accident. What seems to be a dream come true for her ends up being a nightmare for him when he starts to realize she takes his writings a little bit too seriously... not enough of an understatement at that too. It’s her ability to always be one step ahead of Paul whenever he tries to break free that makes her so convincingly terrifying. It’s when she looks back on Paul and utters, “God, I love you.” after breaking his ankles of course, when you realize just how bat-shit crazy this woman really is.
13) Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) - Ricardo Montalban
1982 - Revenge. Khan or “Khaaaaaaaan!” is all about revenge. Once exiled by Captain James T. Kirk and then blaming Kirk for the death of his wife, Khan vows to avenge her. His plan is to activate the Genesis Device - a torpedo that is capable of both reorganizing matter to create habitable worlds and destroying planets. The scene in which he uses his mind controlling eels - “pets” as he calls them - to gain control of the USS Reliant is just as disturbing to watch nowadays as it was for me when I was just three years old. Nightmares naturally followed back then.
12) The Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) - voiced by Lucille La Verne
1937 - The first of Walt Disney’s feature length productions also happens to be my personal favorite of all the Disney animated films. It also contains the most wicked of all the Disney villains - the Queen. This woman has no black heart or heart of stone. No, those with a black heart or heart of stone at least have a heart. Vain and jealous are just the tip of the iceberg with this icy bitch. Upon finding out that she’s no longer the “fairest in the land” but her step-daughter, Snow White, is, she orders a huntsman to take Snow White out into the woods and kill her. Of course, she’s gonna need proof that Snow White is dead so she also wants her heart cut out and placed in a jeweled box. Consider it a memento. When you see the Queen’s true ugliness in the form of that old witch, and then see Snow White responding back with that sweet voice and demeanor of hers, you just wanna choke the old, bitter hag for how she could ever find it in herself to kill such an innocent girl.
11) The Joker (The Dark Knight) - Heath Ledger
2008 - Don’t get me wrong. Jack Nicholson’s performance in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman was terrific, but Heath Ledger’s was even better. While Nicholson’s was more an ode to Cesar Romero’s campy Joker from the sixties, Ledger’s was dark, sadistic, demented, anarchic, and surprisingly intelligent as well. As Batman’s rival arch-nemesis, the Joker was the one villain that was able to get under Batman’s skin and inside his head the most. No one could bring Batman closer to breaking his “one rule” - not to kill anyone - more than the Joker. Plus, if you’ve seen the final installment, The Dark Knight Rises, in the clip I showed, you realize he’s eerily prophetic. “They’ll cast you out like a leper... You just watch. When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other alive... See, I'm not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.” It’s a beautifully twisted performance and it earned Ledger a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - one he deserved regardless of whether he was dead or alive, by the way.
That's all for the first half of the top 20. Next week, I'll have the best of the best with the top 10 greatest villains to ever appear on the silver screen.
Hello, once again, readers. It’ll be a busy week on here; there’s lots of posts for you coming up, but first it’s Tuesday. Time for my video pick of the week. This week’s pick is one example of what I refer to as a “popcorn flick” - a film where there’s no heavy plot, backstory or twists and turns. You just make yourself a bowl of popcorn and prepare to be entertained. This film, led by an A-list cast, certainly delivers the entertainment that it promises.
Anaconda focuses on a group of “National Geographic” film-makers shooting a documentary on a long-lost South American tribe on the Amazon known as the Shirishama. Led by director Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez), the group consists of cameraman Danny Rich (Ice Cube), production manager Denise Kalberg (Kari Wuhrer), sound engineer Gary Dixon (Owen Wilson), film narrator Warren Westridge (Jonathan Hyde) and anthropologist Professor Steven Cale (Eric Stoltz). Along their journey, they encounter a man who has been stranded in the river. His name is Paul Serone (Jon Voight). Serone leads them in believing he can help them with their search for the lost tribe, but unbeknownst to them, he is actually a snake poacher trying to capture an Anaconda - the world's largest snake. One Anaconda caught alive, according to Serone, could be worth a million dollars. If any of these people had seen anything about snakes on Animal Planet, they'd be smart enough to know that's easier said than done.
I hate the term "guilty pleasure". If I like a certain movie, why should I be ashamed of it? Yes, some of my favorite movies ever are hard hitting films such as The Godfather, Raging Bull, Fargo, and Pulp Fiction. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good entertaining movie if it is well made, and this movie is one hell of an entertaining flick. For starters, there's no complicated plot. This film is very much self aware of itself, and doesn't get bogged down in some heavy handed story. A film crew's shooting a documentary. They pick up a snake poaching hitchhiker. They get involved with a really pissed off snake, end of story. Also, for what many would consider an entertaining "B-movie", the performances are surprisingly strong, particularly from scene stealer Jon Voight. He takes this performance and has a ball with it. A villainous performance like this always runs a fine line between believable and overacting, but Voight strikes just the right tone. It's a terrifically sleazy performance from the Academy Award winning film veteran. His final scene in the movie - involving a wink - is by far his most memorable. Credit should also be given to cinematographer Bill Butler. It's a beautifully shot movie that portrays the jungle as both seductive yet ominous. Obviously, as someone that's always been fascinated with reptiles, I know full well that snakes of any kind don't actively hunt humans, and that they don't scream like shrieking banshees, and that if they do attack humans, it's only out of either fear and self defense and (or) you're invading its territory. Guess what? I also don't care in regards to this film. This is the type of film I watch for entertainment, not scientific accuracy. Although, to its credit, it did get the Anaconda's place of origin right (tropical South America) unlike it's God awful turd of a sequel which made its new place of origin Borneo of all places (it's extremely plot heavy story about something to do with flowers they breed in being a new type of Viagra or whatever didn't help either). This film is definitely all about what you see is what you get. Director Luis Llosa manages to create an effective, top notch, mass-appealing entertainment which is not easy to do by any means. Anaconda is straightforward and to the point, and it's one wild and fun 90 minute ride. Yeah, that's right. So sue me. Just go watch it.
